Trump put Cuba back on state sponsor of terrorism list — right where it belongs

Trump put Cuba back on state sponsor of terrorism list — right where it belongs

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s swift action after his Monday inauguration to return Cuba to the list of countries that support terrorism is a necessary step to uphold U.S. national security interests — and to show the island government that Trump, whom they hate, is back.

The change to Cuba’s status came as Trump signed 78 executive orders on Day One of his presidency.

A week earlier, then-President Joe Biden made a political faux pas, at least in Miami, by removing the island nation from a state-sponsor-of-terrorism list. The de-listing was part of a secret deal negotiated by Pope Francis and the Vatican to win the release more than 550 Cuban political prisoners, including people who took part in the island-wide July 11, 2021, demonstrations, a senior administration official told reporters.

The release of several political prisoners, though, may have been little more than an attempt by Cuba to manipulate the situation and gain international legitimacy. The U.S. also lifted sanctions on Cuban military companies.

Among those released by Cuban authorities was prominent opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, who had been in prison since the demonstrations. It’s unclear how many more prisoners were released during the deal. Unclear, too, is what Cuba will do now that the country is back on the terrorist state list.

Though winning the release of prisoners in Cuba jails is important, cutting the deal was probably a political miscalculation by Biden, signaling weakness to the Cuban regime. Even Florida’s Democratic Party leadership, already suffering from deep unpopularity with Hispanics in the region, asked Biden to reconsider. He did not.

But Trump stepped in and reversed it, no doubt winning more support from Miami’s Cuban exiles, who like his strong stance against the island.

But more importantly, by rescinding Biden’s ill-advised decision, Trump has shown Cuba he is standing up against regimes that pose a threat to the peace and stability of America.

It’s all part of Trump’s campaign promises. By returning Cuba to the list as soon as he took office, Trump has sent a clear no-tolerance signal to countries that support terrorism or undermine the safety and security of its citizens.

Cuba has a long history of harboring fugitives from American justice and supporting terrorist groups like the Colombian guerrilla group FARC. Also helping Cuba return to the list: the country’s friendships with Russia and China.

Incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban American, will surely deal with Cuba with an iron fist. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has long been a proponent of sanctions on the communist island.

Trump’s decision to include Cuba on the list in 2021 was based on concrete evidence of Cuba’s ties to terrorist activities and its continued threat to regional stability. Late President Ronald Reagan first placed the country on a similar list in 1982. Cuba’s ill will toward the U.S. goes back to the days after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Miami’s Cuban exile community has long been distrustful of the Democratic Party’s approach to Cuba. They feel the party first betrayed them in 1961 by pulling air support from the Bay of Pigs invasion. It’s not a fluke that Trump won the Cuban vote in Miami-Dade in November.

As he enters the White House for the second time, Trump’s action on Cuba will no doubt reaffirm the exile community’s faith in a government that prioritizes national security and stands up against tyranny.

By the Miami Herald Editorial Board